Booksellers purchase books from wholesalers and publishers to sell to the public.
What does a bookseller do?
Working in bookshops of all sizes, booksellers help customers with enquiries and orders, as well as being responsible for stock control.
- You’ll be responsible for offering advice, answering enquiries and ordering books for customers.
- You may be in charge of stock control and identifying popular trends in the market.
- There will also be administrative tasks involved, which could include some accounting, distribution, organising deliveries and dealing with returns.
- If you work for a specialist bookshop, you may also be working closely with teaching staff from local schools, colleges and universities to make sure relevant text books are in stock.
What do I need to do to become a bookseller?
If you love books and have a broad range of reading interests, this job could be ideal. Some prior experience in retail sales, customer service or working in a library would be beneficial.
If you want to open your own bookshop, you will need to develop strong business skills and gain a good understanding of the publishing and bookselling industry.
Academic route
- GCSEs (A-C) in English and maths
Vocational route
- Level 2 BTEC retail knowledge qualifications
Where to find out more
Where could I be working?
You might work in a small independent bookstore, or a larger chain.